Nicole Oresme (d. 1382), professor of arts and theology at the
University of Paris and later bishop of Lisieux, was highly
regarded by his contemporaries as a natural philosopher,
theologian, translator of Aristotle, economic theorist, critic of
astrology, and royal adviser. During our time, he has become widely
known through modern editions of his works in mathematics, physics,
and astronomy.

In the De causis mirabilium, Oresme examines a wide
range of ‘marvelous’ phenomena. Arguing against
attributing them to celestial influence, to demons, or to God, he
shows that they happen no less naturally than do common events
about which no one marvels. He claims further that
‘marvels’ often result from misperceptions, errors of
sensation, or faulty reasoning – an assertion supported by
many examples. The book shows an early scientist at work in the act
of providing natural explanations and trying to justify this
approach, supplementing nicely the more formal discussions of the
methodology of medieval science.

The study preceding the annotated edition and translation of the
De causis mirabilium sets this text not only in the
context of Oresme’s career, but also against the background
of other ancient and medieval attempts to shift the boundary
between the natural and the preternatural. It becomes clear that
Oresme’s treatise was shaped by various philosophical
disputes of his own day, including nominalism, the theology of
God’s power, the psychology of vision, prophecy, the
knowledge of particulars, and the causes of monstrous births.